The Dolce Vita Diaries

In August, when everyone stops working and all businesses close down in Italy, there is time to spend days cooking. The simple bliss of slicing, chopping, blending, boiling and eating. Veal tonnato (or Vitello tonnato) is a classic summer dish consumed by the truckload in Milan. It really benefits from being made slowly over a couple of days but you can also make it more quickly, with maybe 30 minutes prep time and a few hours to chill and let the flavours mingle.

If veal tenderloin is a bit pricey, go for a cheaper cut like the rump, as long as you can make nice slim slices. You can even use left-over turkey.

Ingredients for 4

Veal tenderloin – ½ kg of the thickest part (known as the chateauxbriand steak)
Egg – one hard boiled
Capers in olive oil (not salt or vinegar if you can help it) – 1 tablespoon plus some for garnishing
Tuna – 150g
Anchovies – 3 fillets and some for garnishing
White wine vinegar – 1 tablespoon
Lemon – the juice of half
Extra virgin olive oil – 50ml
Rocket – to garnish

Preheat the oven to 220°C. Season the veal with salt and pepper. Pour a glug of olive oil into a baking tray on the hob and throw in the seasoned meat. Once it’s browned all over pop it in the oven for around 20mins or according to thickness and your vampiric tendencies.

Boil the egg, take out the cooked yolk and add it to a blender with the anchovies, tuna, capers, vinegar and lemon juice. Start blending and add the olive oil bit by bit. You want to make a paste the consistency of a mayonnaise.

When the veal is cooked, take it out of the oven and leave for 10 minutes before putting in the fridge. Then when the veal has cooled down you can slice it, at an angle if it gives you larger slices, into 5mm thick wedges.

Place the slices on a plate and smear the tuna paste thickly over the top. If you have time to leave it to rest for a couple of hours, do so, otherwise garnish with whole capers, rocket (rucola) and a couple of anchovy fillets.

Serve with potatoes and mint and carrots and dill.